Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Gizzard Shad

I think the major "untried" portion of ML's experiment is the tag-team combination of tilapia & RT. I am very interested in hearing his results over the next year or so.

Sunil,

I always expect the jabbing, from certain folks...but never, ever would expect to be jabbed for trying something that is already tried and true.

Theo , Sunil & ML :

I think ML's project is a great ( brilliant) idea for the reasons stated above in this thread.

I am also very interested in the results and look forward to the reports on its progress.

Sunil I think the LMB will know that the RT are tasty and are a prime menu item . What I wonder is because LMB are opportunity feeders ( go after the easiest food of the right size first) will they go after the RT which are active in cold water first or will they go after the sunfish ( BG and small LMB) who are not as active first. Of course after first having gorged on cold tilapia. I also wonder how much the reduced LMB metabolism (cold water) will effect how much and which prey is eaten . Can a cold LMB chase down an active RT ? The Calif. studies did not have these facts as the water does not get cold. They involved year round actively feeding LMB ( one reason they get so big). I do think that as ML's water gets warm and the remaining RT ,as a result, start to stress they will be target no. one for the LMB and it should be at just the right time biologicaly for the post spawn LMB.

It does not matter if it is tried and true or completely radical . For me it only matters if it makes biological sense and that it is done by someone like ML who understands what he is doing including the +- of the risks and rewards and who can observe and report accurate results.

Go for it ML and let me know if I can help some how. I do want to know how the recipes from the site in my post above turn out. ewest

ML, glad to hear you and your family are OK.

In reality, I think you're doing something that is less common then not, if at least for the cost of it. But it will be damn exciting when you see the first LMB cruising around w/ a Rainbow Trout in it's mouth. I've heard that they will hold on to the trout for a long time before trying to swallow it. Then you may see the tail of the trout sticking out of the LMB's mouth for sometime. Just awesome.

I'm assuming you're putting the trout into the LMB pond that has no pellet feeding?

What would be even more awesome is if you have a trout hooked on a fly on your 5 weight, and a LMB attacks it! You may have to work out some type of trailer hook for your fly rig.

ewest, I'm just kidding ML about the "tried and true" phrase.

I think that most pond owners are aware that trout are more of a put and take type of fish that will most likely not reproduce in a pond unless there are optimal conditions such as cold water.

I think when some people talk about forage fish, they tend to "look down" on fish that will not reproduce in a pond setting, and thereby will not be a recurring source of food.

A good example is stocking shiners or fatheads in a pond that has an existing LMB population. Many say that it's just an expensive snack for the LMB.

I don't disagree with that. If you have the money and are comfortable with it, it certainly does not hurt anything (although we know that some shiners are nest robbers).

If most could afford to stock trout as forage for LMB, it would be great.

I'm pretty excited to see how this goes as well. You could make this a trifecta experiment by taking a small pond, feeding it, using tilapia in the summer, rainbow trout in the winter and get female only largemouth bass from Greg Grimes!

If you kept your water quality in good shape you could grow ten-pounders in about four years.

Sunil :

I should have been clearer. The paragraph about tried and true was not addressed to you in the least. It was a statement of how I evaluate and view expir./projects. I knew you were kidding ML. I would say the same if you were trying an expir. because you know what you are doing with your place. I have also used the same method of adding fish where I knew most would be supp. forage and would not establish a viable population. Thanks for your post which reminded me to be clear when I write and when not, to clear them up afterward. ewest

ML, Man I wish I could get that amount for the trout. I struggle to get $2.75/lb. They have been so much fun for my clients. I did not find they were a huge boost to bass growth but we stocked them fairly large b/c they were nervous there would be none left for them to catch if stocked too small. Also you should see how fast they grow with proper food. 3/4 lb in October to reported (they exaggerate) 3.5 lb by the time they belly up in June. Agressive fish for sure, you will like the way they attack the fly

So, Greg, are you saying you can deliver RT to my ponds in person in East Texas for $2.75 per pound in the sizes specified? When can you deliver? Early Dec. is preferrable.

Todd,

This is a "bump" so you can see my posts on price and sizes...does that answer your questions?